Audemars Piguet Royal Oak: 50 Years of History (90s to Present)

Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak continues to fascinate people 50 years after its launch in 1972. Following the article below, which describes the time when it was first designed by Gérald Genta, we trace its evolution from the 90s, when it became increasingly diverse with larger diameters and the incorporation of complex mechanisms, to the latest models today.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak: 50 Years of History (From its Birth to 1986)

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The 1990s saw increased diversification

　Since its launch in 1972, Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak has evolved in a variety of styles, sizes, and movements. This diversification continued into the 90s, reaching new milestones in both technical and aesthetic terms. Marking its 20th anniversary, the Royal Oak took an even more radical turn. The 1992 reference 14802, a homage to the 39mm Royal Oak "Jumbo" from 1972, was the first limited edition model to feature a sapphire case back.

　The Ref. 14800 also caused quite a stir as it was the first Royal Oak to feature a 36mm case fitted with a leather strap. This design was created by independent Swiss designer Jorg Hysek. The case had a hollowed-out middle section, which allowed the strap to be attached via a movable pivot. With around 20 variations in materials and cases (especially those with military numerals), this unusual "Royal Oak" would go on to be even more free-spirited.

　The 1993 Royal Oak Offshore reached a new peak as a model embodying the "extreme lifestyle" of the 1990s, and its case housed a movement designed for luxury watches, not sports watches.

　Emmanuel Guillet's reinterpretation of the Royal Oak, with an oversized 42mm diameter, replaced Rolex's famous Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona and appealed to a new generation with a taste for bigger and more expensive models. Nicknamed "The Beast," it became the perfect accessory for the adventurous lifestyle.

　This new development of the Royal Oak took on a path of its own, giving rise to a completely separate and entirely new collection, with some models and limited editions having their own unique personalities.

　In the early 1990s, the first women's see-through model was introduced, featuring the ultra-thin Caliber 2003SQ, measuring just 1.64 mm thick. Jewelry-set versions gradually became more common, culminating in the Royal Oak Skeleton Haute Jewelles (Ref. 15073), released in 1998. It features a 30 mm 18K white gold case, bracelet, and hands, all set with 446 brilliant-cut diamonds. The hour markers are made of 4.64-carat emeralds. Combining the traditions of high jewelry and high watchmaking with contemporary design, this model blazed a new trail for jewelry pieces in the early 2000s.

　But before that, the ladies' Royal Oak reached another pinnacle in 1997 with the Royal Oak Mini (Ref. 67075). It was the smallest Royal Oak to date, with a quartz movement and a case just 20mm in diameter that fit perfectly on even the tiniest wrists.

　The 1990s also saw the expansion of complications: in 1997, the stainless steel Royal Oak Tourbillon was released as a limited edition of 25 pieces to celebrate the collection's 25th anniversary, and five each were also made available in pink gold, platinum, and yellow gold.

　The Ref. 25831 is fitted with the second-generation tourbillon caliber 2875 in a 40mm case, and its workings can be admired through the octagonal tourbillon carriage at 6 o'clock. As a homage to Audemars Piguet's pioneering automatic tourbillon movement, introduced in 1986, this model also features a transparent case back that reveals the winding mechanism.

　In 1997, the Royal Oak Chronograph (Ref. 25860) was launched, featuring a chronograph in a 39mm case, affectionately nicknamed the "Kasparov." It also introduced the Royal Oak Grande Complication, the first to feature a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and split-seconds chronograph. Its imposing 44mm white gold case and 648-component movement made it a striking contrast to the Royal Oak Mini, launched the same year.

　Between 1972 and 1999, Audemars Piguet produced nearly 300 variations of the Royal Oak, around 200 of which were produced during the highly creative period of the 90s.

In the 2000s, Jumbo took a major step forward in its history.

　In the 2000s, Royal Oak took a major step forward in the history of the "Jumbo" with the introduction of the 39mm Ref. 15202. This new model allowed for even more freedom in reinterpreting the design codes, including dial color and the return of the sapphire crystal caseback.

　The dial features the Grande Tapisserie guilloché pattern, a new motif that was introduced to the collection the previous year. Following the release of the Royal Oak Offshore in 1993, watches were becoming increasingly larger, and the Grande Tapisserie, which is made up of approximately 380 pyramid-shaped patterns (approximately 700 for the Petite Tapisserie), quickly became the highlight of the Royal Oak collection.

　Since then, the average diameter of the Royal Oak has risen from 36mm in the 1990s and 35mm in the 1980s to 39mm for the ref. 15300 in 2005. This model, which blends tradition with modernity, has become one of the most popular Royal Oak models.

　However, rather than a return to its roots, the 2000s saw the adoption of avant-garde designs and cutting-edge micromechanics. The Royal Oak Concept, launched in 2002, and the Royal Oak Tradition d'Exercise No. 4 (Ref. 25969PT), launched in 2004, both bear witness to the vision of the new millennium. Since 1999, the Tradition d'Exercise No. 4 series has transcended the boundaries of classic watchmaking, combining complications in innovative ways. The latter, the Royal Oak Tradition d'Exercise No. 4, is a limited edition of 20 pieces, featuring a chronograph and tourbillon in a 44mm platinum case. The double barrels, visible through the openwork dial, provide a long power reserve of approximately 10 days.

　The 2000s also saw an expansion of the Royal Oak into limited edition models in collaboration with athletes and celebrities. This can be traced back to the Royal Oak Championship, which was launched in 1990 under the name of Nick Faldo. This model featured a combination of two materials: stainless steel and tantalum, or pink gold and tantalum.

　In 1999, the Royal Oak Offshore Team Alinghi was released in collaboration with the Alinghi team of the America's Cup, an international yacht race. In 2005, the Royal Oak also collaborated with actress Michelle Yeoh, and in 2008, with former Indian international cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

　The designs of the early 2000s were extremely diverse, but from around 2012, when the brand celebrated its 40th anniversary, they became more refined while still maintaining their codes.

　Among the flagship models, the Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin (Ref. 15202) caused a sensation among enthusiasts. This model featured the slim caliber 2121 in a 39mm case, with a case thickness of just 8.1mm.

　This combination of sophisticated aesthetics and advanced technology has characterized the decade since 2000. The 2006 Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked featured a new patented movement with two balance wheels and two hairsprings assembled on the same axis, achieving perfectly synchronized oscillations and ensuring the watch's precision and stability. Initially offered in a 41mm stainless steel or pink gold case, the watch is now available in a smaller 37mm case and in a wide range of materials, including white gold, yellow gold, and black ceramic.

　Also in the 2010s, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin (Ref. 26586), nicknamed RD#2, was unveiled in 2018 and represented a major technological breakthrough. With a case height of 6.3 mm and a movement just 2.89 mm thick, it was the world's thinnest automatic perpetual calendar at the time. To achieve this unprecedented result, the perpetual calendar mechanism was reduced from the traditional three-tiered system to a single tier.

The Royal Oak celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022

　The Royal Oak's 50th anniversary kicked off with a new generation of the Jumbo: the Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin (Ref. 16202). It features the new, ultra-thin automatic caliber 7121, crafted to fit into a case just 8.1mm thick. The caliber 7121 replaces the historic 2121 that powered the Royal Oak since its debut.

　Also celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin is the first Jumbo model to feature a flying tourbillon. The flying tourbillon carriage can be seen on the dial, which features a petite tapisserie pattern.

　Developed at the same time as the Caliber 7121, Caliber 2968 combines automatic winding with a flying tourbillon without compromising the proportions of the iconic "Jumbo" case. To achieve this, the entire tourbillon cage used in the existing 41mm diameter model was redesigned. The resulting movement is just 3.4mm thick and has been nicknamed RD#3 in honour of this delicate technical achievement.

　At just 50 years old, this collection will continue to surprise us in the years and decades to come.